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Fast electron propagation and energy deposition in laser shock compressed plasmas

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 1999

A. BERNARDINELLO
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Fisica–G. Occhialini, Università di Milano Bicocca, and INFM, Italy
D. BATANI
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Fisica–G. Occhialini, Università di Milano Bicocca, and INFM, Italy
V. MASELLA
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Fisica–G. Occhialini, Università di Milano Bicocca, and INFM, Italy
T.A. HALL
Affiliation:
University of Essex, Colchester, UK
S. ELLWI
Affiliation:
University of Essex, Colchester, UK
M. KOENIG
Affiliation:
LULI, CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau, France
A. BENUZZI
Affiliation:
LULI, CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau, France
J. KRISHNAN
Affiliation:
LULI, CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau, France
F. PISANI
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Fisica–G. Occhialini, Università di Milano Bicocca, and INFM, Italy
A. DJAOUI
Affiliation:
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, UK
P. NORREYS
Affiliation:
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, UK
D. NEELY
Affiliation:
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, UK
S. ROSE
Affiliation:
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, UK
M.H. KEY
Affiliation:
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, UK Present address: LLNL, Livermore, CA, USA
P. FEWS
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK

Abstract

The first experimental study of the propagation of electrons created by an intense laser in shock-compressed matter has been performed with the VULCAN laser facility at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, to investigate one of the fundamental phases of the fast ignitor concept for inertial confinement fusion. Plastic plane targets were irradiated on one side with two pulsed laser beams, each with I ≈ 1014 W/cm2, t ≈ 2 ns, E ≈ 80 J per pulse, to generate a planar shock wave; on the opposite side of the target, a chirped pulse amplification (CPA) laser beam (I ≈ 1016 W/cm2, t ≈ 3 ps, E ≈ 10 J) was focused to generate the fast electrons. The results show an increase of hot electron penetration in compressed matter with respect to an ordinary one. Experimental results have been analyzed with computer simulations.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
1999 Cambridge University Press

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